


Curse of Immortality

by via_ostiense



Category: Greek and Roman Mythology, The Iliad - Homer
Genre: Chains_of_fics, M/M, Remixed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-10-09
Updated: 2005-10-09
Packaged: 2017-10-15 16:57:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/162912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/via_ostiense/pseuds/via_ostiense
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>chain_of_fics, line "Suddenly Achilles was grinning, grinning wide enough to split his head in two."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Curse of Immortality

**Author's Note:**

> Remixed by Victoria P. into [This Life Has Its Victories (But Its Defeats Tear So Viciously)](http://remix.illuminatedtext.com/dbfiction.php?fiction_id=337)

Suddenly Achilles was grinning, grinning wide enough to split his head in two. He stopped pacing and faced Patroclus. "I could see Phthia again," he declared.

Patroclus leaned back on his hands and looked at Achilles. "You could," he said noncomittally. "But why would you want to?"

That question stumped Achilles for a moment and he started pacing again. As he walked, he kicked up sand and watched it spray into the tide. "We could leave tomorrow and we could wash the stinking dust of Troy from our feet. You didn't want to come here, anyway." He sounded sulky and Patroclus was familiar with this, knew that Achilles was avoiding the question and avoiding looking head on at how immature he was being.

"I didn't want to come, but you did," Patroclus responded. He kept his eyes on Achilles' face, silhouetted against the black sea. "You pledged your word to the kings that you'd fight with them, and you can't run back home like a spoiled child without being forsworn."

"I--" Achilles began, stopping and looking out over the waves as if he could already see the high citadel of his father's kingdom growing out of the water.

"If you're going to tell me that you don't care, don't," Patroclus warned, and he dropped his voice down, low and dangerous. Narrowing his eyes, he said, "You've already chosen your fate and you know it. You can't escape it, so don't even dream about trying."

"I'm not trying to escape it!" Achilles said, stung. "I just can't stand--"

"What, can't stand what, having second thoughts?" Patroclus interrupted. He folded his arms across his chest and watched Achilles swing around.

"No! I'm not having second thoughts, I just hate that Agamemnon thinks he can insult me with impunity! I know I can't leave," and Achilles dropped to his knees and grabbed Patroclus' shoulders. Achilles' eyes blazed like fire and he said, "I don't want to leave. Glory greater than anything the world has ever known, that's what Mother said I'd have if I came here." His hands were hot on Patroclus, as if Achilles' passion for glory was burning him up from the inside out.

Achilles let go and sat back on his heels. "I just hate that Agamemnon thinks he can insult me because he knows that I won't leave." The intensity dropped out of his voice and suddenly he was merely an irritated and whiny mortal again, no longer fiercely ablaze.

Patroclus grinned sardonically. "Well, there's nothing you can do about that, except pull out of the fighting and wait him out." He stood up and offered Achilles his hand. Achilles slung his arm around Patroclus' shoulder, and he was just pleasantly warm, a comfort against the night breeze.

"Yeah. Maybe Paris'll get lucky and shoot him," Achilles said hopefully.

"Yeah, maybe," Patroclus replied, not really listening. As they walked back to their camp, he wondered how many more days they had left. If nothing else, pulling out would give him extra days against the time when Achilles would meet his fate.


End file.
